HEADS UP! Protect the Gullah/Geechee Nation’s Coast!
Two counties. Two critical meetings. One coast to defend.
Monday, September 14, 2026, is a critical day for the future of the Gullah/Geechee Nation’s coast!
While Beaufort County Council prepares to discuss yet another attempt to remove Pine Island from the Cultural Protection Overlay District protecting St. Helena Island, Colleton County Council will consider regulations that could determine whether massive data centers gain a foothold in the rural ACE Basin.
These meetings overlap. Therefore, we need the Gullah/Geechee famlee, environmental justice advocates, landowners, preservationists and everyone who values the South Carolina Lowcountry to divide forces and fill both council chambers.
We cannot sit silently while destructioneers repeatedly attempt to wear down the laws that protect our land, water, culture and quality of life.
Beaufort County: Uphold the CPO!
Monday, September 14, 2026
Beaufort County Administration Building
100 Ribaut Road
Beaufort, South Carolina
3:45 PM: Community members are encouraged to arrive before Council enters its executive session.
4 PM: Beaufort County Council Caucus Meeting and executive session discussion concerning Pine Island.
6 PM: Regular Beaufort County Council Meeting. Public comments will be accepted.
The destructioneers behind the proposed Pine Island gated golf resort have submitted another application seeking to remove their approximately 502-acre property from the Cultural Protection Overlay District—the CPO.
This is not a new idea. It is the latest move in a campaign that has continued since 2022 through repeated development applications, proposed zoning changes, mediation, political pressure and three lawsuits.
The people have answered repeatedly: No gates! No golf! Uphold the CPO!
Why the CPO exists
The Cultural Protection Overlay was not created overnight, and it was not handed down to us by outside organizations. It grew from the voices, vision and work of the people of St. Helena Island.
In 1999, Beaufort County adopted the community-led CPO to protect the island’s rural landscape, waterways, agricultural traditions and Gullah/Geechee cultural heritage. I was honored to lead the inaugural Cultural Protection Overlay District Committee as we went into the field, listened to native families and worked to protect the land and sacred spaces of our community.
The CPO prohibits land uses that have already devastated other Sea Islands: golf courses, resorts, gated communities and restrictions on access to waterways and culturally significant places.
These are not arbitrary prohibitions. They are protective barriers against land speculation, overdevelopment, cultural displacement and the destruction of a living heritage community.
St. Helena Island remains the epicenter of Gullah/Geechee culture largely because generations of native families have retained land and because the CPO has kept the island from becoming another resort enclave.
The law applies to everyone. It does not prohibit anyone from living on the island. It prohibits particular land uses that are incompatible with the community’s legally adopted vision.
No exceptions should be granted. No carve-outs should be created.
A carve-out would not simply affect one property. It would weaken the integrity of the entire district and place the future of St. Helena Island at risk.
Beaufort County and the community have prevailed at numerous stages. The Planning Commission has repeatedly rejected the proposals. County Council has repeatedly upheld the CPO. The state case was voluntarily dismissed. The first federal lawsuit was dismissed, and reconsideration was denied.
However, the legal fight is not over. One appeal remains pending, and the newer federal challenge is stayed. That is precisely why Beaufort County Council must not undermine these victories by creating a political exception while litigation continues.
SCELP has stood beside the Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition throughout this legal battle. Together, we have worked to ensure that the people whose culture, land and future are at stake have a voice in court. Review the documented legal history on SCELP’s Pine Island case page and its September 10 meeting alert. Come out and stand up to Protect St. Helena Island’s CPO on Monday, September 14th at 4 pm!